June 2017 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Portland, Oregon. The last time you received an update from the Hodgsons, we sent you a letter from our director, Jeremy Clark. It has been quite a long time since you have heard directly from us, so here we are!

Our purpose in writing today is to give you an update on our lives, and a glimpse into what the Lord may be preparing for us in the future. Before I get into that, however, I (Cory) have something to share with you.

We all have struggles, trials, difficulties, and hardships in our lives. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are told to expect, and even embrace this (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:10). We are still reeling from our hasty departure from Tanzania, and the loss of our home, most of our belongings, our friends, and our ministries. Despite this, and despite what you may be struggling with as you read this, God is faithful! We see this time in our lives as a transition time. We are reminded of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 where the Lord directs him to wait at the brook called Cherith. Elijah didn't know why, but he obeyed. God had a good reason for sending him there, and Elijah waited for the Lord to reveal his purpose to him. We don't know why God closed the door in Tanzania to us, but we believe he has something else in store for us, and we will wait for Him to reveal that to us.

In the coming year, the board of Grace Ministries International has agreed to let us put Naomi and Elijah in school for the full school year while we live in Portland. This will provide some much needed consistency to the kids' lives, and will also be a time for us as parents and as a couple to regain our strength as we wait on the Lord.

Cory will be doing language studies during this time, and taking some survey trips as well. Please pray for us that we will be sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit as we look to the future for the people and ministries He has in mind for us.

As always, we need your prayers. Please pray for our family dynamics, our spiritual and emotional health, and that God will allow us to return to His service in a state of strength and confidence.

Thank you for being part of our team, and please take the time to read the below letter from GMI Executive Director Jeremy Clark.

-----Nearly six months ago Cory and Kim’s life was turned upside down. While on vacation, they received word that the church they had served in Tanzania for 11 years had decided to have them and another missionary and missionary family removed from the country through no fault or sin of their own. Within two weeks of arriving back at their home, they packed up 11 years of their life and left Tanzania leaving behind the home where their kids grew up, their vehicle, dear friends, the ministries they had developed and many memories. The decision of a few in the church has profoundly affected and deeply hurt many.To Cory and Kim’s credit, they sought the Lord and His grace—which is always sufficient—and have begun the healing process. Through this time of healing, prayer, and seeking counsel, one decision they have made is to remain as GMI missionaries for which we are grateful! During the past month Cory and Kim have presented a ministry plan to the board of GMI which it considered at its board meeting June 8-9. This plan was developed in consultation with their counselor who sees the Hodgson family getting healthier, but wants them to ultimately serve with GMI from a position of spiritual and emotional strength and health and not from the emptiness they have experienced after having lost so much.During this next year they are going to do several things. First and foremost, they are going to continue to get healthy. While part of this process is, understandably, providing stability for their kids, they will also spend time researching and taking survey trips to potential fields of ministry. In fact, they have already been in touch with different GMI missionaries on the field and have been in frequent communication with the home office regarding this. Because a new field would likely have them serving in Latin America, they will spend time learning Spanish to give them a head start for learning a new language once on the field. Once they have been assigned a field and have an idea of set-up costs, how much they will need to purchase a new vehicle, and the expense of language school, they will raise support for this new venture. In many ways they are starting over again similar to what a new missionary candidate would experience.I cannot stress enough how difficult this has been for the Hodgsons, but how the Lord continues to bring them through it. We have a lot of confidence in them and want to see them succeed in their ministry. They are veteran missionaries who have a lot of experience and talents which will be a blessing in any field. What I ask is that you continue to invest in them, pray for them, and encourage them as they go through this process. Pressing towards the goal,Jeremy ClarkExecutive DirectorGrace Ministries International